F-35C Flight Ops Onboard USS Carl Vinson

12/14/2018
Lightning II aircraft assigned to the "Rough Raiders" of Strike Fighter Squadron 125 (VFA-125) are launched with F/A-18 Hornets during integrated flight operations in support of VFA-147 Safe-For Flight Operations Certification aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70).  PACIFIC OCEAN 12.09.2018  U.S. Navy 

USS Lincoln and F-35

09/11/2018
In a story by USNI News’s Megan Eckstein published on August 27, 2018, the operation of F-35s onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln was highlighted. ABOARD USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, IN THE ATLANTIC The Navy’s F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter has been incorporated into a carrier air wing’s cyclic flight operations…

Valiant Shield 2016:Photoex Formation

10/04/2016
10/04/2016: As James Gigliotti, now the F-35C Navy Program Manager at Lockheed Martin and previously commander of the Aircraft Carrier USS Harry Truman, put it: "One has to understand that distributed operations have always been crucial to carrier operations. In what we used to call “chain saw”, F-14s would operate at…

F-35C Night Ops

10/16/2015
10/16/2015: U.S. Navy sailors conduct night flight operations with the F-35C Lightning II carrier variant joint strike fighter aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). The aircraft, assigned to the Salty Dogs of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX 23), are aboard the aircraft carrier for the second phase of…

The F-35C Lands Aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower

10/14/2015
10/13/2015: F-35C Lightning II carrier variant joint strike fighters assigned to the Salty Dogs of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 land aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) conducting follow-on sea trials.  Credit:U.S. Navy video/Released):10/2/15 According to Ali Rockett of the Newport News. Daily Press: Rear Adm.…

Visiting the F-35 Final Assembly Line, Fort Worth

03/01/2015
02/26/2015: By Robbin Laird I had not visited the Final Assembly Line or FAL in Fort Worth since late 2012. Much has changed as the line has matured, and a line stood up in Cameri, Italy and one being built in Japan. The first Italian FACO F-35 rollout will happen…

The F-35C Arrives at Eglin AFB

06/27/2013
06/26/2013: According to a 33rd Fighter Wing Press release on June 22, 2013: The U.S. Navy’s Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-101 received the Navy’s first F-35C Lightning II carrier variant aircraft from Lockheed Martin today.  U.S. Navy pilots and maintainers from VFA-101 are now training at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.,…

Understanding the Basic F-35: What is in the Baseline Aircraft? (Updated)

05/13/2012
The F-35 represents a new approach to the development, production, system and sustainment of a fleet of combat aircraft.  Additionally, the F-35 takes an innovative approach to collaborative upgrades over the airframe and global fleet’s life cycle. Too often an understanding of the basic aircraft rolling out of production right…